


Shiny Things

by Conturbatio



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Basically a major AU since we don't know what Vaccuo is like, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Sexual Content, Sexual Tension, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Vaccuo, Vacuo (RWBY), no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-13
Updated: 2020-11-16
Packaged: 2021-02-28 03:40:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 17,844
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22687111
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Conturbatio/pseuds/Conturbatio
Summary: Finnick Gao, a student from Shade gets wrapped into Ozpin's war against Salem and is expected to unite the lawless lands that are Vaccuo. The only thing keeping her at Beacon is a puppeteered friendship with Qrow Branwen. How will she and Team STRQ grow as the treat of Salem grows nearer every day? And how will she react to knowing that Qrow was ordered to be close to her?An OC idea I've had for too long and now that they're headed to Vaccuo soon I need to get this out.
Relationships: Qrow Branwen/Original Character(s), Qrow Branwen/Original Female Character(s), Qrow Branwen/Summer Rose, Raven Branwen/Taiyang Xiao Long
Comments: 3
Kudos: 14





	1. Chapter 1

The Vytal Festival was only 4 days away. In other Kingdoms in other schools students were working away perfecting technique after technique in order to win the tournament. Beacon Academy however, was a different story. While students were without a doubt refining their skills, there was the unspoken truth of the tournament; Team STRQ would be the triumphant victors. The leagues between them, the poster children for Beacon Academy, and the other students were insurmountable and all the other schools would have to face that defeat first hand to realize how utterly futile it was to challenge them. Even Team STRQ was aware of this daunting reality.

Despite the pedestal they were placed on Summer Rose was adamant that her team work even harder in the coming days. The training grounds became well acquainted with them as they practiced countless maneuvers. While there was definite improvement in stamina and teamwork, the results of such grueling training were difficult to see in such a short period of time. It was frustrating for everyone involved.

Taiyang sat slumped against the lockers, having just put away his gauntlets for the day. His muscles ached and his knuckles were raw- he swore they were almost bleeding. The blonde glanced over and spotted the younger Branwen in a similar state, but clearly doing much worse- the dark circles, pale complexion, labored breath- after so many days of nonstop training, it looked like it was finally going to be enough to kill the man. But it wasn’t as if they had never had this taxing of a schedule before, in their three years Tai would say they’d gotten fairly used to the constant need for improvement, even if recently they’d gone into training overdrive that wouldn’t cause such a change in the man. It had to be something else.

“Something wrong, Qrow?,” asked Tai tentatively, not having moved from his spot. No response. With a sigh, he got up, the sound of cracking joints showing the stiffness in the man’s body. Still, he made the effort to go across the lockers to where Qrow sat, blankly looking straight ahead of himself as if contemplating something larger than life. The blonde pushed the other’s head slightly with his hand in a playful attempt to get his attention, “Something wrong?”

Qrow gave an exasperated sigh, finally looking up to meet his teammates gaze. His eyes darkened with the motion, “What’s wrong is this is all pointless.” Tai looked at him, concerned at the statement. “We’re spending our time fussing about the Vytal Festival when she’s out there Tai. Salem is out there growing stronger every day, and old Ozpin is only worried about how a stupid carnival is going to go.”

It was evident that with every word, every breath, every sentence that was spoken, Qrow got more and more worked up. His voice had gotten louder, his face was getting red, and his body seemed strained in frustration. And to Taiyang, it made sense. Only a couple months before Team STRQ was granted the knowledge of the real war going on, the war behind the scenes. It all seemed impossible, but the more they spent time with Ozpin, the more they worked under him, the more the threat began to grow, began to materialize in front of them. Taiyang had felt the shift in the team dynamic almost instantly, Summer was less vibrant, Raven was more reclusive, and Qrow, well, he didn’t realize how badly it had affected Qrow.

Rubbing the back of his head and looking towards the floor, Tai tried to find the words to comfort his teammate, it took a couple minutes until he himself sat down next to Qrow, a low grunt from the aching muscles escaped him before he spoke: “You know, the Vytal Festival is more than just a big fair with a tournament attached to it. For us, for the kingdoms, it’s more of a display.” He glanced over and noticed the interest in Qrow’s eyes, not quite understanding what he was being told. “The tournament is a display of strength, the power that the future huntsmen possess, it puts the kingdoms at ease knowing there’s a generation of capable huntsman and huntresses ready to take over. And the festival itself, it’s a display of unity. That after so many wars, we can come together, as humanity. If that makes sense.”

It was quiet before Qrow would give a curt nod, already back into his thoughts. He hadn’t thought of it that way, this was his first experience with the Vytal Festival and it’s not like the tribe ever cared much for it. For Qrow the explanation was satisfactory, it made sense, it wasn’t a direct attack on Salem, but it was a way to push her back. Qrow could go back to trusting Ozpin’s plans. He’d follow them, even if they didn’t make a lot of sense to him.

On the other side of Beacon, a girl was walking, gawking at nearly every sight she could see. Her golden brown hair bounced as she made her way down the street. She had gotten lost quite easily in the city a couple days prior, but finally felt confident enough to venture out on her own. She was determined to take everything in while she could, the lights, the signs, the people, it was all new to her, and all equally mystifying.

Her brown eyes finally focused on one sight. A large fountain in the middle of the square. Her eyes widened in glee as she approached it. There was nothing like this where she came from. The idea of water being so abundant that it could be used as an ornament. In reality, it wasn’t that impressive. All the same she stood by the fountain watching the water flow and pool. The girl knelt down and ran her hand through the stillness of the basin, the cool sensation enveloping her quickly. She was enchanted.

“You seem to be enjoying yourself,” said a voice from behind her. The girl turned her body to look at the voice. A man with silver hair stood before her, brown eyes peering at her over his glasses. She quickly tried to get up only for him to motion for her to be at ease. Still, she got up and and smoothed out the creases in her pants.

“I was sir. It’s really beautiful” the girl stated eyes still gleaming with excitement over the experience, “I’m sorry if I was troubling you sir, I’ll be on my way now.” The man laughed at her politeness, overly so to the point it showed how foreign she really was.

“You’re not troubling anyone, it’s quite nice watching someone enjoy the things most of us take for granted.” The man was intrigued by her. Her demeanor, her behaviors, everything.

Taking one hand to the back of her head, the girl gave a toothy smile, embarrassed at the ordeal, “I’m from Vaccuo actually, so we don’t have fountains like this, well, anywhere.” That piqued more interest for the man. It was clear she was here for the Vytal festival. Hardly anyone from Vaccuo would come to Vale without good reason. He questioned her purpose for being at Beacon and got the answer he had been expecting. Yes, she was partaking in the Vytal Festival, more than that, her and her apparent team were going to compete in the tournament to represent Shade Academy.

“Well, I should get going sir, my team is probably waiting for me back at our hotel.”

“Before you go could I get your name?”

“Oh! I’m Finnick, Finnick Gao of Team FRST”

With a quick salute, a warm smile she trotted past him and back into the town. The man was amused with her. Professor Ozpin would have to keep a closer eye on her throughout the duration of the festival.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finnick gets into a disagreement with her team while Qrow is hiding from his own

Finnick was beyond excited for the Vytal Festival to begin. She had never been outside Vaccuo before and to be visiting Beacon of all things felt magical. Beacon was everything she had read about and dreamed of. Large, almost overwhelming, buildings with accents of greenery made up the landscape. She couldn’t get enough of the sights, she had to take it all in since she was lucky to be there.

Finnick wasn’t Shade’s first choice to represent them in the tournament. She was a new student who had just started, she didn’t even have a team. She was just a replacement. Team FRST’s real leader had gotten incredibly ill over the last few weeks and by the time it was decided that he wasn’t going to get better in time for the Vytal Festival, it was already too late to forfeit. It became a scramble for the faculty at Shade to find someone to fill in. Up until the last moment where the headmaster personally asked her to join Team FRST, Finnick believed she was nowhere near the skill level to contest the spot. And yet, she got it. Something about her must’ve stood out to the headmaster and faculty, something she didn’t know. 

Her teammates didn’t know what either. They knew there were more capable students to take the position and doubted that Finnick would be able to fill in their missing leader’s place. Specifically, Rowan, the only other girl on the team, felt that they had been short-changed and given an inadequate replacement and she made sure Finnick knew this was how she felt. Her other two teammates, Sinclaire and Timir, were much more accepting of the decision and wished to help her adapt to the team lifestyle. It was constant chaos.

Back at the hotel room, Timir and Finnick sat down on one of the beds and talked about their strategy for the four on four portion of the tournament. Their fighting styles were completely opposites of each other; she liked to scan from the back lines and try to find an opportunity, while he would be taking the brunt of the opposition's attacks as the team's only form of front line attack. 

"Maybe I can help you on the offensive, I mean I don't particularly like close combat conditions, but it feels wrong having you do it on your own," questioned Finnick, not knowing how to balance the team's imbalance between offensive and defensive members.

Timir chuckled at the thought. A girl of 15 and barely reaching his chest wouldn't do well as a shield for the other two team members. She was too tiny, too frail, and most frightening of all too inexperienced. "You shouldn't underestimate my abilities Finn, I think I'll be fine on my own. If you really want to help out maybe start with trying to be on talking terms of Rowan. I think your synergy together would be much more beneficial for the team's overall performance."

Finnick pouted and diverted her gaze, instinctively reaching to hold the tufts of hair in front of her shoulder. "It's not like I haven't tried. She just doesn't want anything to do with me. I don't know what else to do."

Timir sighed looking over cautiously looking at the door.

"She's just being pissy. Gonna lay it down straight, when we were told a first-year was going to fill in we weren't too thrilled. But you're not too bad. A little reckless, but we've trained as a team together to cover each other's faults. Rowan, she has something to prove, to her she can't afford to lose."

"And I'm a liability…" 

"To her, yes. To Sinclaire and I, we think you're probably the best person to have been put on this team."

Finnick's eyes were watering, the tears were coming as she leaped across the gap between them to give her teammate a hug. Unprepared for the assault, Timir fell backwards onto the bed, the air forced out of his lungs. He tentatively patted her head. 

"Uh, there, there, you should stop that." he started, he hadn’t expected for the sudden outburst and didn’t know how to respond to it. The soft, but stiff, pats on the head were all he could do to try to comfort his teammate.

Just as Finnick was calming down, wiping her eyes on the sleeve of her shirt, the door of the hotel room opened. Both Finnick and Timir jumped at the suddenness and looked over to see Rowan standing at the door, eyes slightly narrowed, eyebrows furrowed. A quick roll of the eyes and twitch of the nose preceded her entering and sitting down by the vanity on the other side of the apartment.

Rowan sat there, back straight, and ignoring her teammates as she picked up a hairbrush and started brush out her black hair. Every now and then her fox-like ears would twitch from the touch of the brush. She placed the brush down and just took a moment to look at herself in the mirror. Her hand instinctively went up to her ears, touching them hesitantly before putting her hand back on her lap.

Finnick and Timir both watched almost entranced by this small display. It felt so intimate and vulnerable. Like a side that they hadn’t seen from her before. Even Timir, who had been her teammate for two years seemed to find it unusual.

The Faunus’ nose scrunched as she noticed the two gawking at her. Her eyes closed in frustration as she let out an exasperated sigh. “Don’t either of you have anything better to do?” she snapped without even looking back. The pair stiffened having been caught as onlookers. Another sigh came from Rowan and she spun on the chair to face the two on the bed.

“Seriously, the tournament is in three days now and you two are doing nothing, but goof around in the apartment. You think that you’re better than all the students who are training night and day to achieve the top. Are you two that arrogant or just ignorant to the ones around you!”

Finnick winced, this had been the treatment she had received for the days leading up to this moment. She knew the harsh words were directed at her. And it hurt. Yes, she wasn’t being the most productive at that moment, but she was attempting to better herself for her new team.

“We can’t do anything more unless we train together Rowan” the youngest girl said.

“That’s hardly the problem.”

“We should go out together as a team tomorrow and practice some drills before the tournament.”

“Like that would do anything, you’ll just be slowing us down”

“Well you know what, at least I’m trying!”

The room went quiet as Timir was wide-eyed staring between the two girls. Rowan was shocked at the retort. And Finnick, she was standing. Tears threatened her eyes, as she covered her mouth with both her hands and backed away towards the door. No one spoke, no one followed as she ran out of the door, tears now flowing from her face. These were unlike the ones before. They weren’t of appreciation, they were of sadness, anger, regret. 

* * *

Qrow had spent most of the day hiding from Raven and Summer, too tired to commit to any more training for the day. It was tedious and unnecessary, and therefore not worth Qrow’s time at the moment. Instead of being on the training field with the other members of his team, he was perched on a tree just on the outskirts of the Emerald Forest. 

With his back on the sturdy trunk of the tree he was able to gaze up at the clouds as they passed overhead. It was calm, he needed that. After everything with Salem and Ozpin he needed a moment of reprieve to himself. A moment to get his head straight. He knew he couldn’t stand idly by as Salem was threatening to destroy Remnant. Initially, there was nothing more that he wanted to do, but find her and kill her and get it all over with. But the more he thought, the more complicated it got for him to find an easy way out of this battle. It was a game of chess and huntsmen, rather huntsmen-in-training, like him were the pieces. 

Thinking about it like that gave him a headache, but he couldn’t just not think about it. As the time passed which the clouds in the sky, Qrow found himself thinking about the Vytal Festival again. He trusted Tai, he trusted him with his life, so when he said that it was just a big display of strength and unity he had accepted that. His concerns now were with the time and effort spent for a simple display. There were resources that could be expended into finding Salem, or at least the Summer maiden. And all those resources were being used to man taiyaki stands and carnival booths. It was ridiculous. It was frustrating. And with that frustration, came more of a headache for him. 

He didn’t get much time to wallow to himself about the pain, because he heard a rustling coming from nearby. Just his luck, on the outskirts of the Emerald Forest where grimm rarely migrate and he’d attracted one. To top it off, he left Harbinger “lost” under his bed, just in case Summer had actually managed to find him.

Shoulders tensed as the rustling of bushes and leaves got closer and closer, he clenched his fists ready to make some quick hits to debilitate the grimm before running off to the safety within Beacon’s walls. He wasn’t expecting a child to run towards him not looking where she was going. Before Qrow could warn her, she ran straight into the same tree he had been lazing on. Face first into bark. 

Qrow was bewildered at the sight. He hopped down from the branch to see if the girl was okay. She was on her knees holding her hand in her hands, recoiling from the hit. It was clear she wasn’t from Vale. She was dressed in baggy tan clothing that covered almost all of her skin, save for a few spots here or there. No one would wear that here. 

“Hey are you okay, kid?” he asked, leaning down slightly to get a look at her face. The girl took a moment and got up, wiping her face of some tears and dirt. “I’m doing alright, my aura protected me from the crash. Thankyou for your concern.” 

She looked up at him and gave him a soft smile. Looking at her face Qrow could see the childlike features more clearly. She still had chubby cheeks from baby fat and these doe-like eyes. She was probably no older than 14 or 15. 

“This is a pretty dangerous place, kiddo, what made you run all the way here,” Qrow asked, confused on why a child would run all the way to the Emerald Forest just to get some face to face action with a tree. 

The girl’s smile went away and her gaze shifted from Qrow. “Well, you see, I kind of got into an argument with a teammate, and I just, I just ran away.” 

Qrow nodded, “Teammates. Meaning you’re competing in the tournament?” The girl’s face lit up for just a moment before going back to a sullen state, “I am, but R-, my teammate, thinks I’m only dragging her and the rest of the team down.”

“If she thinks that then, you just got to prove you won’t. Can’t know until the tournament happens.” He knew. She would let them down. She was small, clumsy, and even she admitted she ran away, unable to confront her problems. The girl and her team were destined to fail from the moment they decided to enter the tournament. But looking at her face, he couldn’t tell her that. It would feel like crushing a child’s dreams and he would not stoop so low. 

“You’re right. I’ll just show her at the tournament that I’m not deadweight.” She looked over at him and gave him a larger smile. “Thankyou. For telling me that. It’s kind of overwhelming training to be a huntress and all.”

“No, I get it. I mean I am too. Why’d you think I was holing it up in that tree. It gets to you.” He rubbed the back of his head, trying not to make eye contact. “You’ll do fine, you’re probably a great huntress.” Immediately he regretted saying that. Lying to a kid was beneath even his standards, but something compelled him to do so. 

“Oh! Thankyou!” the girl said blushing at the compliment, “I, uh, should get back now, I think I should apologize. Do you, would you like to go back to town with me?” 

Qrow gave it a quick thought before dismissing it, “I think I’ll stay out here a little bit longer.” The girl nodded and started to walk back to town. Before she disappeared into the brush and the trees, she looked back at him and gave him a quick wave and a warm smile. 

Qrow chuckled, if that was the future of huntsmen and huntresses, then Remnant really was doomed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It took me a while with school, but I'm really happy how this chapter came out. I have a general idea of where I want the story to go, but I need a little build up before I get there.  
> Thank you for your continued support.


	3. Chapter 3

“And she ran into the tree”

“Yup, she ran into the tree” responded Qrow as he took a swig from a half-empty bottle of whiskey.

Him and Tai were sitting on their beds and relaxing with a couple drinks here and there. It was two nights away from the tournament, and the festival would start the next morning. This was the last chance for the two to let loose and possibly get blackout drunk. 

“How funny would it be if, if we got matched up against that girl and her team in the tournament.” joked Tai as he cracked open another can. 

“Funny? It’d probably be more sad. If they’re anything like her it won’t be a fight.”

“Oh, come on Qrow, you didn’t even see her fight, maybe she’s just clumsy.”

Qrow rolled his eyes and took another drink before sinking down into his bed to stare at the blankness of the ceiling. He turned his head over to look at his friend before a thought came to his mind and he burst out laughing. “What’re you thinking Qrow?” asked Tai with a smirk on his face, ready to hear his friend’s incoherent thoughts. 

“What if,” Qrow wheezed out between laughs and laboured breaths, “what if she just runs into the arena, straight into a wall, and it just knocks her out.Wouldn’t that be something.”

Tai shook his head and gave a small chuckle. “Nah, there’s no way anyone training to be a huntress would be that oblivious.” Qrow propped himself on his elbow, putting down the now empty bottle, “That’s the thing Tai, that girl, she’s really something.” 

“Brother’s help her if she really is then.”

“Oh lord, don’t go getting religious on me.”

“Don’t you feel bad for her, even in the slightest?”

“Sure, based on what I saw, I feel bad that she’s so deluded that she can actually be a huntress.”

“Qrow-”

“You didn’t see her Tai. You didn’t see how vulnerable she was, how ignorant and naive that girl was, to think there are people like her thinking they have what it takes to be full-fledged huntsmen is the problem, that’s why grimm attacks have been getting out of control recently.”

“Always the optimist with you Qrow.” Tai sighed not wanting to continue the conversation any longer. He did not want to have another night filled with arguing over the fate of remnant, which to his dismay was all anyone wanted to talk to him about these days. All he wanted was to take a couple shots with Qrow, get drunk off his ass, and possibly eat the half a burger he had left in the fridge. But he wasn’t, he was drinking cheap booze and listening to Qrow rant about the inadequacies of the huntsmen academies.

In the middle of his thoughts on his less than spectacular night, there was a knock at the door. Both Qrow and Tai looked at each other, and shrugged their shoulders. Qrow cleared his throat and asked, “Who is it?”

“It’s Summer. Raven and I made some cookies, and I thought you guys might want some. I’m coming in okay?”

Neither of them were or ever would be as fast as they were in that moment. Tai rushed to try to block the door as Qrow took the closest bottles and cans and shoved them underneath his bed. It didn’t matter though. They weren’t fast enough. There stood Summer in the doorway holding a plate of slightly burnt cookies. Her face which was usually adorned with a warm smile quickly turned sour as she saw the two boys frozen in place, both frantic to hide the various bottles of alcohol from her sight.

For Qrow and Taiyang it seemed like an eternity as they waited for the silent fury to pierce through the tension. They could both see Summer’s eyebrows furrow and her hands shake slightly. Qrow decided to make the first move-

“Hey petals, you said you’ve been baking, that's nice.” His tone was calm and his face held a small smirk despite the increasing anxiety that was growing from being caught. 

“You know what’s nice, when my teammates don’t get drunk two days before the tournament!” Her voice was shrill with frustration, they had never seen her this upset. “I mean, seriously, I can expect this from Qrow, but Tai, you too?”

“Wait just a minute sweetheart, what do you mean, you ‘expect this from Qrow?” the man in question snapped back. His face was now void of any amusement at all, he was just as upset as she was, and all because of one comment.

Summer sighed as she put the plate down on the dresser, her hands went instinctively to her face to combat the growing headache that she had now unleashed. 

“It’s just, you did this sort of thing all the time, Qrow.”

“What Drink? Everyone in this room ha-”

“Drink to avoid your problems, Qrow that’s what I mean!”

Silence filled the room again as acknowledgment settled in. Of course his team had their concerns about his drinking habits, but they never voiced them—even Raven tended to hold back her jeering comments. 

Qrow got up off of his bed, he straightened out his back standing at his full height, a scowl on his face. He pushed past Summer in the doorway. Summer followed him out making every attempt to get him to stop. Hearing the noise, Raven stepped out of the girl’s room and stared at her brother questioning. He didn’t look at her. He didn’t look at Summer. He didn’t look back as he left the apartment. He didn’t see the glass framing their team picture shattered as it fell off of the wall.

* * *

The night was cold to say the least. Much colder than it should’ve been for the middle of autumn. Most people had decided to stay indoors in the comfort of their warm homes. The street lights had turned on a while back, illuminating the empty streets. The moon was hidden behind several layers of thick clouds, leaving the street lights as the only defenders against the darkness. 

Despite being prepared for the cold, Finnick felt defenseless against the chill that engulfed her. Her coat that had normally served fine for the cold desert nights did nothing for the penetrating cold she was experiencing now. It had surprised her how quickly the streets of Beacon had emptied, the plentiful life of the streets having receded back to their homes. 

Finnick swayed the bag in her bag as she traveled back to her hotel. She had gone out to get a couple of sweets for her and her teammates. She hoped this act would try and help mend the rift that was between them. 

As she came across a street corner one light started flickering on and off before finally turning off. The change in light made her look over to see a tall figure approaching her. Fear ran through her. It was kind of scary being out on the street with only one other person, but that didn’t mean there was any reason to expect them to be following her. She sighed in relief when she began thinking it could merely be a coincidence. She continued on her way making a couple of odd turns just in case.

It came to her attention a little while later that the figure—the man—was still behind her, in fact, he had gotten even closer to her than before. This worried her. Her initial thoughts had been correct. This man probably was following her. He was probably following her to kidnap her and she’d end up in a dust mine. No, she wasn’t not if she had anything to say about it.

The man closed the distance between them with long strides, she prepared. Her hands had clenched around the bag like it were a makeshift weapon. She was ready. As the man began to pass her she heaved her entire body, twisting herself to add more power, and hit the man in the face with a bag full of cake. Unfortunately for her, she may have put a little too much of her weight into the strike as she began to stumble and fell right on top of the feet of her could-be captor. 

“What. The Actual. Fuck.” 

Wait. She recognized that voice. But from where? She looked up to see the man. He had black hair and was pretty lean. The man was clutching his nose mouthing off a slew of curses. It hit her.

“Forest Man! It’s you!” Her face lit up in recognition, her eyes beaming. He looked down at her in bewilderment. “What did you just call me?” Finnick got off of the floor and stood up to face the man. Her eyes fixed on his face. She reached up and took his hand in hers, lifting it off of his nose as she evaluated the damage. She then took her hand and brushed it against his nose, feeling a small jolt of static as she did so.

Finnick retracted her hand. “I’m the girl that ran into the tree. You probably don’t recognize me without tears all over my face though.” She bent over to pick up the bag of desserts she had been carrying. “Sorry about the whole attacking you thing. My name’s Finnick by the way.”

“You know, I don’t know how they do it where you’re from, but in Beacon we don’t just deck strangers for no goddamn reason.”

Finnick blushed, “Sorry, I just thought, thought you were following me and I got scared. Girl walking alone in the dark and all.”

“But you’re training to be a huntress. If you’re being followed then it shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Yeah, that’s why I hit you.”

They stood in silence for a moment, both staring intently at the other as if they were trying to wordlessly get their point across. It was the man who broke the contact as he turned and started walking away. Finnick looked surprised and started chasing after him the best she could, having trouble keeping up with him.

“Hey! Where are you going?” she shouted out as she took longer strides than usual to keep in tempo with him.

“The bar, I’m too sober to deal with this shit.” he picked up the pace.

“Aren’t you a little too young to drink Forest Man?”

“Name’s Qrow, and not at this one I’m not.”

Qrow turned into a small bar at the end of an alley. 

She watched as Qrow entered the bar and stood outside for a few moments, hesitant. Taking a deep breath she entered the establishment. The lights were dimmed and the bar was nearly empty. It seemed only a handful of people had made it out tonight. She looked around to find where her friend had gone. He was already at the counter, back turned towards her, his attention on the bartender pouring the drink in front of him. 

She made her way to the bar and slid onto the stool next to Qrow, making sure to carefully place her bags on the ground between them to avoid any further injury to the cakes. Her eyes flittering about expecting to be told to leave. Without having ordered anything, the bartender slid a glass in front of her. It was pink. With the glass in her hands, she took a small sip of the beverage. Her face puckered before settling into the taste. 

“It’s sour, but also sweet?” she said mostly to herself. Qrow snickered beside her. He was holding his own glass by the tips of his fingers swirling it around in an almost mesmerizing way.

“No shit kid, it’s lemonade.”

Her eyes lit up as she looked back at her drink taking another, larger, drink from the glass. Finnick took that moment to savor the flavors that she was experiencing. After a moment she looked back at Qrow, “I’ve never had lemonade before. I mean I’m having it now, but in Vacuo we don’t really have lemons, but as a kid i read this book about another kid who did a lemonade stand and-” 

He cut her off by placing a finger on her mouth. She gave a small pout before turning her attention back to the drink and continuing to enjoy the foreign tastes.

“So, you said you’re from Vacuo. Never been. What’s it like over there?” Qrow asked whilst finishing his drink and waving down the bartender for another.

“Oh you know, sandy. And hot. But there’s always something to do,” she started thinking hard about her home, “I like Beacon a lot, but I have a feeling there’s not as much going on here.”

“Yeah, Beacon isn’t exactly the wild wastelands Vacuo is, it's got its charms.”

“Are you from here?” Finnick asked, getting a look from Qrow emphasizing the ‘left-field’-ness of her question, “I mean you seem to talk about it like you’re not from Vale.”

He nodded in comprehension, “Me and my—I have a sister—we’re from Mistral.”

“So you guys are from Haven that’s really cool!” Qrow grimaced, to disguise his discomfort he threw his head back consuming the rest of his second drink and ordering a third.

“Uh, not exactly, we grew up around the outskirts of Haven, but we didn’t really interact much with the kingdom,” Finnick looked blankly for a second before giving him a comprehending look. She turned back to her empty glass and looked at it as the ice cubes shifted slightly. She didn’t know what to say. She could tell by the way he talked about it, that it wasn’t a topic that her friend would like to continue.

* * *

Qrow could tell by the girl’s silence and the small pout on her face that she wanted to continue talking. She wasn’t hard to read. She was just a girl who yearned for validation and comradery. If it had been any other night, if the circumstances of them meeting again were different, he wouldn’t indulge her. But he too felt a need to connect with someone. If only for one night, he could allow himself to pretend to enjoy the girl’s company.

He finished his third drink, asked for a fourth, the buzz from the alcohol was finally starting to settle in. The girl— or what was her name, Fennec, Pheonix, he'd have to ask again later— was looking around trying to entertain herself while Qrow continued his share of drinking.

“You know kid, I ain’t keeping you hostage, you can leave whenever you’d like,” he had to offer her that. Not wanting to feel like a burden to her or to anyone. The thoughts of the fight with Summer krept up on him. He finished the fourth and went on to his fifth.

“Oh, yeah, sorry, it just looks like you’re in it for the long haul and you’ll probably need some help getting home.” Her face was a light pink as she mentioned her intentions.

“Real considerate, but I think I’ll manage,” he said with a chuckle, her face fell slightly. He saw her shift to get up. “Enjoying the company though,” he added, not wanting to be completely alone with his thoughts.

This girl, she was a distraction. He could indulge a distraction. Just one night, he could let himself get lost in the idea that everything was okay.

“So how’s the problem you had, you fixed it? No more crying into the woods?” Qrow couldn’t remember why exactly she had ran into him the other day. Good, he didn’t want to remember. 

“Oh! Me and Rowan talked it out. Only a little, but I think that things are going to get a little bit better. She wants to do a team training session tomorrow! I think things are really coming together!”

Oh yeah, her team. Least they’re getting along, he thought. Qrow finished the fifth, the bartender brought him the bottle. 

Qrow made his way through the bottle. He made comments here and there about whatever the girl wanted to talk about, she seemed to appreciate them. By the time the bottle was finished, he couldn’t really make out what she was saying. Only vague ideas based on her expressions. She was having a one sided conversation, fueled by his passive nods. It was nice, being with someone that would talk to him like he was more than just a bad omen. The last thing he remembers from that night was how her eyes sparkled in the dim light as she laughed at one of her own jokes.

* * *

Having finished another story about how she ended up in the headmaster’s office at Shade Academy, Finnick looked at her scroll to see it was already three in the morning. She quickly looked up at Qrow to tell him that she’d need to go soon, when she saw her new friend slumped over the bar, snoring lightly. She sighed. She had stayed because she knew someone had to take care of him, but she had forgotten.

Finnick looked around to see if there was anyone else who could help but saw that the bar had been entirely deserted lest for them two. She tried to nudge him awake only to recieve a groan and be told to “Fuck off.”

This was going to be a little more difficult than she thought. She looked at her scroll to see that time was moving more rapidly than she thought. That’s when she thought of it. He probably had a scroll! Knowing there was no way she would wake him up, she leaned over and searched his pockets. The right pocket had a lighter and one bundled up scratch off. His left had his wallet and his scroll. 

Opening up the scroll, Finnick used Qrow’s thumb to unlock it. This earned her a swat to the face, but it couldn’t bring down her own pride at her ingenuity at the situation. Now, she knew he had a sister, but she didn’t know her name. She couldn’t just call every person on the contact list. She looked through more of his scroll. He had AtlasMaps! That meant his home would probably be saved on there since Atlas recorded your most frequented locations. 

Starting up the app Finnick, she saw that home was saved for the Third Year Beacon dorms. It didn’t seem too far away. They could make it in 15 minutes at a brisk pace. She looked at her friend’s sleeping form. Maybe more like an hour.

Despite Qrow being lanky, he was still tall, and heavy. It wasn’t easy getting him to the dorms with him being completely dead weight on top of her. There were moments when Finnick thought of dragging him back, but thought he’d be upset with her the coming morning. 

The dorms were in sight, they made it. Now which room would be his. Finnick slowly made her way to the front desk in the lobby of the dorms and was greeted by another student. The student merely glanced their way, saw Qrow, and said “Room 324,” before returning to whatever they were doing before. She began to walk to the elevator, only for the student at the desk, without so much as looking up, said “Lift’s broke.” Finnick let out a pained groan and hobbled towards the stairs with Qrow’s weight growing on top of her. That’s it, she was going to drag him up the stairs. She couldn’t do this for much longer.

The whole three flights she pulled him up the stairs by grabbing him under his arms. She swore with every step he gained an additional pound. Once they got to the third floor, she remanuvered back on top of her, carrying the majority of his weight as his feet slid on the floor. 

Finnick counted the doors, 320, 321, 323, finally 324. She readjusted Qrow to be able to get her arm out to knock on the door. A couple moments passed, and she could hear shuffling from behind the door. Using her freed hand she smoothed out her hair that had gotten extremely disheveled in the process of going up the stairs. 

The door opened and she was greeted by a tall, stern looking woman with red eyes. That must’ve been his sister. The woman rolled her eyes and scoffed, turning back into the dorm to call for someone else before retreating back into the dorm herself. A tall man and short woman came out in response. The short woman cupped her hands around her mouth as the tall man sighed and guestered to Finnick to let him pick up Qrow. She passed on her drunken friend to the tall man, and watched as they retreated back into the apartment. The small woman took Finnick’s hands into her own before speaking.

“Thankyou for bringing him back.”

“It’s no problem, it’s just what friends do.”

The woman looked at her with confusion for a moment, and the tall man came back out momentarily to mention how he put Qrow to bed.

“Are you and Qrow friends?” the woman asked, “Sorry, it’s just I’ve never heard him mention you.”

Finnick gave an awkward laugh, “We met recently, kinda ran into him in the forest the other day. I’d like to think we’re friends.”

From inside the dorm she heard the man shout, “You’re tree girl?” The woman shushed him, and looked back at her, “Again thank you. I’m Summer, if you ever need anything please don’t hesitate to ask.” Her smile was sincere and it warmed Finnick’s heart as the door of the dorm closed on her. 

She made her way back to her hotel, only to be greeted by her three annoyed teammates.

She forgot the cake. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading. Please leave a comment if you liked it!


	4. Chapter 4

Metal clashed against metal. The sharp grating of the blades could be heard throughout the field. Finnick held her sword with both hands, moving her left to put pressure on the top to retain control. Rowan smirked, she knew. Finnick knew she knew. Knew that Finnick didn't have the physical strength to leverage an advantage in their position. It was get hit or wait until she was overpowered and had to surrender to the faunus girl.

She wasn't going to lose. Not this time. They had already been sparring the majority of the morning and were well into the afternoon. Time and time again Finnick saw herself at the mercy of her teammates. The receiving end of a blunt blow to the ribs. She had long given up on using her semblance. She couldn't, she needed her aura to protect her from the relentless beating she would take. 

Finnick decided to leap to the side, her leg being grazed by one of Rowan's hand axes. In the split second the faunus had to react she was able to shoot a shot from her right axe. The shot hit Finnick in the center of her back, shattering her aura. She was left breathless. Heaving to try to regain some sort of control over her body. Her leg was bleeding, no aura to heal the wound, her mind racing with the adrenaline of battle. 

Rowan sighed and placed both her axes on the ground as she made her way to her teammate. Kneeling down she inspected the wound, it wasn’t too deep—it cut just below the first layer of skin, slicing into her flesh—but, it would still need to be treated. The look on Rowan’s face said it all.

Finnick could see the disappointment. She had tried her hardest and still wasn’t able to match the raw strength that her teammate exuded. She could see the way Rowan looked at her wound, could tell that she was deciding what to do with her in tomorrow’s match. 

“I think we should go with our first strategy. You should be in the backline covering for us. Use your semblance to confuse them when the rest of us get into a tough spot.”

After her performance in training today, all Finnick could do was nod in compliance. She knew this was going to happen. Even if Rowan was able to accept her onto the team, there wasn’t really a good spot for her. She didn’t fit. So it made sense, her semblance could help her teammates so that’s what she would do; Even if she was a little sour at only being useful because of her semblance.

Finnick pouted at the thought, but decided to push it off until later. She may be the current team leader, but Rowan undoubtedly had more experience and technical skill. 

“What are we going to do tonight, I know the training grounds are closing. Maybe we can go into the woods, hunt down some Grimm for practice.” Finnick asked. She had to do all she could to improve. She needed to show she was willing. Knowing Rowan she probably already planned something similar in the team's agenda. 

Rowan took a few strands of hair into her hand and it brought it to her face, covering the faint blush that appeared almost instantly. Her gaze drifted slightly.

“Actually, to kick off the Vytal Tournament, Beacon Academy is hosting a dance. A boy from Atlas happened to ask me.” Rowan trailed off towards the last sentence. Seeing her that soft, talking about a guy, it felt like an alternate universe for Finnick. All she could do was blink in response. 

“A dance?”

“Yes, a dance Finnick”

“And you’re going?”

“I’m going.”

“So what am I supposed to do?”

Rowan sighed, the spell of a dainty teenage girl gone, her hardened gaze returning. She brought her hand up to her temple in an attempt to console her oncoming headache. “You can go, or you can not go. Honestly, I don’t care.” And with that Rowan went back to pick up her second axe and left her teammate to think about whether to go to the dance.

* * *

There was nothing worse than his semblance. He’s thought that for years and come to accept it, but it seemed that the alarm on his scroll going off after a long night out was close to shattering that truth.

Qrow groaned as the light went from a shimmer to flooding the room. The alarm hadn’t stopped and the pain in his head was killing him. He tried to grab his pillow to shield his eyes and ears, but it was quickly taken away from his grasp. 

Squinting, Qrow could see that the window was open, light pouring in with no regard of his condition. He turned his head and saw Taiyang propped up against the wall sitting on his bed, playing some games on his scroll. It was that motion that alerted his roommate to him being awake. Taiyang closed his scroll and placed it in his pocket, got up off of the bed, and made his way over to Qrow’s side of the room.

“Have a good time out last night?” Taiyang chided with a grin. The sound made Qrow grimace, feeling a surge of pain shoot through his head.

“Could you quit being so loud? It’s nothing I haven’t done before.” Qrow got up and started towards the door. The entire movement made his world start spinning, he had to hold his head in one hand just to feel a sense of stability. 

“Where do you think you’re going?”

All Qrow did was respond with a groan as he stumbled his way over to the common area and then to the bathroom. He made it to the bathroom doorway just in time for another dizzy spell to hit him full force. He leaned against the frame. He really did have too much to drink last night. Maybe it wasn’t the best decision, but he needed it. Anything to get his mind off the feeling of being a burden to his friends.

He stumbled to the sink where he splashed water on his face. He leaned over the sink and held his head in his hands as his headache persisted. Somewhere in his mind, he was happy to be having such a bad hangover, having to deal with the physical pain was much better than having to deal with the fight with Summer the night before. He was grateful. Physical pain he could deal with. Emotional, well, he needed to keep a lid on that.

Behind him, Qrow could hear Taiyang’s soft chuckle. Turning his head slightly he saw his teammate in the doorway, nonchalantly propped on the frame as if Qrow wasn’t having his brain cleaved in two by this hangover. 

“Haven’t seen you this bad since we had to house sit for Port.”

“Well, I can promise you last night wasn’t as fun.”

Qrow said that. And he knew it was true, but he couldn’t remember much else after the fight with Summer. He strained himself to try and remember. He went to the bar, got wasted. But he was back at the dorms? There was a big gap in his memory. How did he get home? Did his team come looking for him? All he could remember… all he could remember was the sparkle of golden eyes. Qrow clenched his jaw and brought his hands to his head again. Another headache.

Taiyang sighed. Qrow could hear him moving behind him, but the pain was too great to open his eyes and see what was going on. Before he knew it, Taiyang had a hand on his back. Holding a bottle of painkillers. Qrow was a lot luckier than he thought because Tai had to be a gift from the brother’s in his kindness.

He took the bottle and popped to pills. He didn’t bother to get any water. He’d taken them plenty of times dry, and right now he’d do anything to get rid of the mind-numbing pain he was experiencing. He looked over at Taiyang for a moment, before giving him a small pained smile and mouthing the word ‘thanks.’

Giving himself a moment before he actually spoke again, Qrow turned to face Tai. “Thanks for bringing me home last night. Means a lot.”That earned a hearty chuckle from Taiyang. It was only when he saw his friend’s confused expression that he cleared his throat and smiled. “Wasn’t me.”

Qrow thought for a moment at that statement. It had to have been Tai that got him. No one else would. Summer was probably too mad at him to go get him. Even if she had decided to go after her teammate, she wouldn’t have known where to go. She knew nothing about the little alleyway bars he would frequent. She didn’t even have the upper body strength to bring him home. Tai had to be fucking with him. Summer couldn’t and Raven-

“Like hell Raven would come and get me.” 

This earned another laugh from Taiyang.

“And she didn’t”

“Then who?”

Taiyang gave him a cheeky smirk, that gained a sloppy punch on the shoulder by Qrow. Let’s just say, your little forest fairy seemed a lot more capable than you made her out to be.” he said nudging Qrow with his elbow. 

Qrow was easy to read. A moment of confusion. Hesitation at an abrupt thought. The sudden realization that seemed to crash on top of him harder than his hangover could ever hope to. Then the groan. The long exasperated groan as he realized he had been taken care of by the same person who couldn’t even look where they were going. He down two more of the painkillers.

* * *

Finnick sat brooding on the edge of her bed. Since the spar in the morning, she couldn’t stop thinking about Rowan and that stupid dance. She didn’t get it. Why have a dance on the eve of one of the most well-known tournaments in all of Remnant. It didn’t make sense! The Vytal tournament didn’t need any introduction. Plus all these future huntsmen and huntresses should be making their final preparations. 

She let out her third sigh with the quarter-hour, finally getting the attention of her teammate Timir. He was also going to this _dance._ He was already making his preparations too; Laying out a suit that seemed like it would never be able to cover his large form. He raised an eyebrow at her as he placed a blue tie down on his bed. Finnick threw herself dramatically across her own bed sprawling out with a groan of irritation. 

“I’m guessing somethings wrong.” Timir stated as he sifted through his things. Turning on her stomach and holding her head in her hands, Finnick rolled her eyes. “I don’t get the big deal about this dance. Rowan says that I should be training for the tournament and next thing she asks me to go to the dance.” Timir pulled out a straight edge. Finnick pouted.

“Well, you two got real close real fast. But I thought she already had a date. 

“Not like that! Just go in general.”

Timir was sifting through his things again, looking for something else. Finnick gave a sigh as she kept readjusting herself on her bed.

“I think you should go too.”

She stopped. Her eyes went wide and her face showed the shock that was going through her. “You’re not supposed to agree with her! You’re supposed to go ‘ _you’re right Finn, she’s being real dumb right now because dances are dumb._ ’” she protested in frustration before she threw her face into a pillow and screamed. Timir pulled out some shaving cream.

“Normally, I’d say you’re right,” he started while transitioning to the bathroom, “but this isn’t just any dance. This is the Vytal Festival Ball. It’s a great way to make connections with people from the other kingdoms. Secure jobs and whatnot.”

Finnick laid dead on her bed, face still in the pillow. All that could be seen from the bed was a large mass of golden hair.

“Is that why you’re going?” 

Timir laughed as he stepped out of the bathroom half his jaw covered in shaving cream. “Nah, I’m just looking to get laid.” In response, Finnick screamed more into the pillow void. How she wished she hadn’t heard those words. 

“You’re so gross!” she yelled as she took another pillow and blindly chucked it in his direction. Like it would do anything to change his mindset. “Is that like what you think about 100% of the time?”

She could practically hear her teammate’s deep thoughts. She sat up shielding her body with a pillow, creating a new monster of golden hair and fluff. She was trying to hide her blush.

“It’s more of a 30-70 split.”

Finnick didn’t respond. She was extremely inexperienced with this sort of talk. Sure, she knew it happened, but no one had ever really gone out of their way to talk to her about things like this. Not so openly like Timir. Everyone saw her as a kid. And yeah she was younger than them… but that didn’t mean she couldn’t be talked to like a peer. 

Hearing Timir talk about it so casually got Finnick thinking. Rowan was probably going for the same thing. If not, she was at least looking for some romantic company. Despite her negative attitude towards the dance. Part of her was jealous. Jealous of someone having asked Rowan to the dance. No one had asked her to the dance. Jealous of Timir, his ability to talk freely about his intentions. Even if she did, talk about any romantic feelings, any crushes, or any attraction she had, she would just be written off because she was a kid. But she wasn’t a kid. She was only two years younger than everyone else. 

“So you gonna go to the dance? I think it’d be good for you to get out of the hotel for a night. Meet some people from other schools. Students from Atlas, Haven, Beacon, they’re all going to be there.”

Students from Beacon were going. That meant that it was possible that she would see Qrow there too. Maybe she would go.

* * *

Qrow was sprawled out on the couch listening to Taiyang blabber on as he nursed his hangover.

“You know Qrow, your forest friend is actually kinda cute. Don’t you think so?”

That sentence alone made his headache almost a million times worse. He did not want to be thinking about… did he even know her name? It didn’t matter if he did or didn’t, he wasn’t going to think about her. He wasn’t going to engage Tai in this stupid discussion.

“If you think twelve-year-olds are cute, then sure.” Qrow did not think she was cute. There was nothing about her that was cute. Not the way her nose crinkled when she laughed. Not the way her eyes lit up when she was excited. Nope nothing. 

“She doesn’t look that young, she’s probably a year, maybe two years younger than us tops.” She did look that young. To Qrow at least. It could be that her idealism and naivety made her seem younger to him, but regardless she was a child, no matter what age she was. He would never not look at her as a child.

“You better not be looking for a new girlfriend Tai, I know Raven would skin you if she knew you dumped her for a girl who hasn’t even hit puberty.”

“Come on,” Taiyang drew out, “don’t you find her the least bit attractive.” He did not. There was nothing attractive about her. Not her long golden hair that looked like it was always reflecting the sun. Not her slightly tanned skin. And definitely not the fact that she barely reached his chest when it came to height. None of that was attractive, absolutely none of it. There was no way in all the kingdoms that kid was attractive. To Qrow, she was annoying. She was naive. She was too enthusiastic. She was a kid. A kid who wouldn’t last a day in a huntress’ shoes. 

Qrow didn’t respond. He only grunted to that. This caused Taiyang to sigh and plop himself down on the couch next to him. They both sat there in silence for a bit before the front door opened.

Summer walked in the door. She was dressed in a tight white gown that accentuated all her features perfectly. Even if Qrow and Summer weren’t on the best of terms at the moment, he could still appreciate the view. And he couldn’t deny that the way the dress cupped her ass was making him a little excited. 

“Wait what time is it?” Taiyang blurted out, pulling Qrow from his thoughts. He didn’t look away however. Taiyang patted his pockets to look for his scroll, before finding it and unlocking it. “Oh shit! It’s already six? I need to start getting ready.” He scurried to the guys’ room, in a hectic rush as he stumbled over his own feet.

“Hey, Qrow.” Summer started. But she didn’t add anything after. She only held her arm and looked at the floor. He’d have to face the music eventually. And eventually happened to be now. It was made even worse by the fact that she was expecting _him_ to engage the conversation.

“What’s got Tai all busy all of a sudden. Got anything to do with you being dolled up.” He mentally shot himself. He had never felt so tense around Summer. Even when they started at Beacon there was never that awkward stage of friendship. They got along great, they were able to talk like it was second nature. Why was it so hard now?

“Tonight’s the dance, the one for all the students.” Oh yeah. The dance. Tai had even roped him into being an elaborate proposal to ask Raven to go. 

“Thought you weren’t going though.” Summer had said she didn't feel comfortable tagging along what was supposed to be a date. She also wasn’t interested in Qrow’s adventures in finding a good hookup before the festival. She had decided to stay in the dorm.

“I was, but then Roux Herrin from our sparring class asked me.” He couldn’t recognize the name, he’d probably recognize the face. “Can I sit down?” Qrow only nodded in her direction as he scooted slightly to the left to make some room.

Summer walked over to the couch, carefully sitting down at the furthest corner. Qrow didn’t dare make eye contact with her. She sighed at the clear discomfort. “I think we should talk about last night.” He turned to face her. “There’s nothing to talk about short stack, what happened happened.”

“No Qrow, you can’t just avoid your problems. The moment someone mentions anything about your drinking problem, you run away!”

“You think I have a drinking problem now, petals?” 

Summer’s face turned bright red, he could’ve sworn she was steaming. “Yes, I do. You drink all the time Qrow. I don’t even remember the last time I’ve seen you completely sober! I mention your problem and what did you do last night, you got shitfaced and that poor girl had to drag you back home!”

Qrow deep down was hurt, but just by looking at his face that wasn’t evident. All that could be seen was the anger he felt last night merging with the anger he felt at this moment. Back in the tribe whenever he would get this angry no one would mess with him. Even here at Beacon, just one look at him would have people running out of his way. Summer wasn’t backing down. 

“I’m glad you’re concerned, but you don’t know what it’s like to be me, Summer. You don’t know what it’s like to be a walking bad omen. To have nobody that wants you around.” He was yelling, Taiyang could probably hear him in the other room, but he hasn’t come out yet. 

Summer had her hands balled up into fists, tugging at the edge of her dress. Tears were threatening to fall from her eyes. “Maybe if you trusted us, if you trusted me maybe we could talk about this. Instead you just, you drink all your problems. I’m here for you Qrow so why don’t you trust me. I care about you!”

In less than a second, Qrow closed the seemingly infinite distance between them. He pressed his lips against hers as he held her in place. She gasped in surprise allowing Qrow to deepen the kiss. He moved a hand to the small of her back pushing her forward to press her body against his. Summer made a soft sound, that seemed to be a mix of a whimper and a moan. She was no longer pushing against him, her hands moved so one lay on his shoulder while the other grasped at his hair. 

All the anger, the frustration, dissipated. It transformed into need. Qrow’s hand wandered further south sneaking under the short hem of her dress to cup her ass. His other hand held her hip as he rolled his own against her. Another soft sound urging him to continue. So he did. He separated from the kiss causing Summer to give out a labored whine, but that didn’t last as he began to kiss down her neck. He nipped at her collar bone, distracting her as he pulled down the neckline of her dress. She was no longer giving soft sounds as a significantly louder moan escaped her lips.

There was a knock at the door.

Everything stopped, Summer pushed him off of her, straightening out her dress and putting some loose strands of her hair behind her ear. She cleared her throat and made her way to the door. 

“I think that’s him, I’ll uh, see you later, at the dance.” She left without another word. Qrow sat on the couch and ran his hand through his hair. This was for the best. She’ll probably be avoiding him for the rest of the semester. He didn’t have to drink to avoid his problems. He happened to be very good at driving people away, and that worked just as well.

* * *

The dance was exactly what Finnick was expecting. While the venue was nicely decorated (she really enjoyed the fact that they were using raw dust to illuminate the building), it was filled with hundreds of students who wouldn’t even glance at her. She had tried to make some conversation with a few Haven girls she had seen near the refreshments, but none of them seemed too keen on talking to her about anything huntress related.

It had been around an hour already and Finnick had found a comfortable spot against the wall. Rowan had made it clear she did not want to be seen with her and Timir was currently chatting up some girls on the opposite side of the hall. Sinclaire, she hadn’t even seen him arrive so she didn’t know if he would be coming. Her team had ditched her first chance they got.

Against the wall, no one bothered her as she gorged herself on mini cupcakes she had pillaged from the snack bar. No one had even approached her to talk to her, or even to dance. It’s not like she wanted to dance, but the principle was still there and it kinda stung. At least the mini cupcakes kept her company.

If there was one good thing about coming to the dance (besides all the sweets), it was that she could get a good view of the competition. There weren’t a lot of people who could be seen as pure muscle like Timir, that was good for her. If there was she doubted she’d be able to take them down. Most of the girls seemed significantly stronger than her, at least physically. She could see the definition of muscle, something she didn’t have. It was intimidating. 

She watched the crowds, part of her was hoping she’d catch a glimpse of Qrow, he’d surely talk to her. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw someone she recognized. Black hair that faded into red. She took a moment to think of where she knew this girl from when it hit her. That was Qrow’s teammate: Summer! She should probably make her way down to the dance floor and ask how Qrow was feeling after passing out last night. 

Finnick, with a new sense of purpose, hopped off the wall and made her way to Summer. It was difficult, seeing as Finnick wasn’t the tallest person and the dance floor was crowded with people. It required a lot of awkward shuffling, but it wasn’t anything she wasn’t used to. This was how it always was with crowds, she was an empty voice in an ocean of people.

Summer’s back was turned to her, so Finnick tapped her on the shoulder. She could feel how the older huntress in training tensed at the touch. Summer turned around, surprise written all over her face. 

“Hey, it’s me Finn! I saw you and thought I’d say hi.” Her words caused Summer to grimace, only for a second before regaining her composure and putting a smile on her face. Even if it was a second, Finnick still saw it. So that’s how it was going to be, Summer was like everyone else in this room—looking down on her. 

“Oh hey, I didn’t expect to see you here.” Summer glanced around like she was looking for an escape. “Did you make it home okay?” Finnick was sure she didn’t mean to be condescending. She said that to be nice, but they were both training to be huntresses, the walk shouldn’t have been a problem. 

“I did, actually I came over here to ask if Qrow is okay, he did have a little too much to drink last night.” Finnick was bouncing on her heels, the condescending tone and grimace screamed for her to walk away. Still, she was worried. Qrow was her friend. Even if how they met was a little odd, he never thought lesser of her, he talked to her like anyone else.

“I don’t think it’s the best t—” She didn’t get to finish her sentence. A tall man appeared behind Summer and put a hand on her shoulder. Finnick didn’t quite catch it, but Summer had mentioned something to him in a whisper. He looked down at her with a sneer. Yep this was her queue to leave. 

“Who let a kid in here?” he chided, a smirk of amusement on his face. She hated that. She hated when people called her a kid. “I’m not,” she could feel her throat closing up, “I’m not a kid!” She turned around to get away from him and Summer. She couldn’t, he grabbed her risk. She looked at him as he yanked her back. Summer was grabbing him by the arm urging him to stop.

“Hey, anyone lose a kid?” he yelled, bringing the attention of the crowd around them onto the situation. Finnick tried to pry his hand off her wrist. She could hear the whispers from onlookers. The glances they gave as they muttered behind their hands or under their breath. “I told you I’m not a kid!” she breathed out trying to fight out of his grasp. He pulled her closer, putting a hand on her shoulder as he pushed Summer away.

“Where’s mommy and daddy, they drop you off?” His face was dangerously close to hers. A couple of guys from the crowd started approaching them to help, but it didn’t matter. She kicked him in the groin and then twisted the arm that had been holding her shoulder. The pain from it brought him to his knees. Everything stopped. No one got closer. No one whispered. Even the music that had been blaring in the background stopped. 

In the crowd she saw Rowan looking at her, face full of shock. It was too much. She needed to get out of there. She ran through the sea of people and pushed her way to the exit. She kept running until she was outside in the cool fall air. She kept running until she thought she covered enough distance between her and the dance hall. Finnick looked at where she was, she didn’t know.

* * *

After the incident with Summer Qrow hadn’t planned on going to the dance. He was planning to throw back a couple of beers and relax in the solitude of the dorm. That was in no way proving her point that he had a drinking problem. This was recreational, to relax. He did not have a drinking problem. Taiyang convinced him otherwise. He had most definitely heard the conversation between him and Summer, and thought it was best if Qrow went out into the night and found a nice girl to bring back. He didn’t phrase it that way, but that was the way Qrow was going to interpret it.

So there he was at the dance. There was a severe lack of alcohol, but what was Qrow if he wasn’t prepared. Flask in his coat jacket, condoms in his wallet, he was set for the night. All he had to do was avoid Summer and that shouldn’t be too hard. 

He had flirted with a few girls so far. Two blondes, one brunette, and one pretty little redhead, but not of them caught his eye for too long. He was currently sitting off to the side on one of the benches with a Mistrali girl who was draping herself over him. They made quiet conversation as he slid a hand up her thigh. The girl gave out a sigh in pleasure. 

“You know, I grew up in Anima, where exactly are you from sweetheart?” He pegged her for a southern girl. At least he hoped she was, girls from the southern stretch of Anima really knew how to have a good time in his experience.

“Oh, I’m from a little village called Yanai, you’ve probably never heard of it. It was overrun by bandits a few years back.” His hand stopped. Her voice expressed no sorrow, every word that left her lips was sultry and heavenly. It was her words. He heard of Yanai. He’d been to Yanai. He remembers the people of Yanai. How the people screamed in Yanai. He couldn’t do this. He cleared his throat, “I think I should get going.” She tried to argue with him but he had already gotten up.

Qrow was more than a hundred percent sure. He hated what he did in the past. What he did in the tribe. But he did it anyway. He was a hundred percent sure. Yanai. He and his sister, his family—no, the Branwen tribe. They were responsible. Memories that were coming back to him were more like ghosts haunting than reminiscent times. 

“Hey! You know it’s rude to leave a girl alone at a dance, right?” Just his luck, Yanai girl decided to follow him. His suave demeanor, the one he used to lure her, had vanished. He was a mess of stutters trying to come up with some excuse. His eyes kept darting around the room, trying to find something. A distraction. And out of the corner of his eye, he spotted it. Just for a fraction of a second, that golden hair. Why was she here? And where was she going?

“Look, sorry, I need to go.” Qrow heard her huff in frustration as a friend of hers came by. There goes his chance of getting laid tonight, she’ll probably go around and tell all the girls some raunchy lie to drive them away from him. That didn’t matter. Golden hair. That girl, the girl from the forest, from the bar, she was here. He followed the direction she went. In his haste, he didn’t notice how everyone was looking at him following her. He didn’t notice Summer’s hurt expression as he followed her out of the dance hall. 

She went outside, but he couldn’t see her. What did he know about this girl? She was short, so she probably had tiny legs and couldn’t get far. She has a tendency to run into trees. When she runs she just runs in a straight line probably. Qrow was already hurrying, he too was running before he could even comprehend he was. His mind wasn’t able to rationalize why he was doing this, so he just kept going, as if on instinct. It wasn’t long before he saw her.

Moonlight illuminated what looked like a scene from a fairytale. Long golden hair flowed in the wind, reflecting the shimmering light from the moon above. She was standing in front of the beowolf statue. Just like Summer she was wearing a white dress, but that was the only similarity. It wasn’t the skintight style his teammate wore, it was loose and did nothing to highlight her figure, but it flowed in the wind effortlessly and beautifully. It made her look like an ethereal sprite. It wasn’t until she noticed his presence, that he realized his mouth was agape. He was staring. 

“Qrow…” his name was whispered from her lips, it was almost inaudible. He was trying to deny that he found her beautiful at this moment. No matter how hard he tried, the image of the kid he formed in his head was gone. He understood what Tai had meant. There was a charm about her that he couldn’t explain. He tried to comprehend it but he couldn’t.

“We keep meeting in the weirdest of places don’t we.” She brought a hand up to her face holding a smile, but her eyes had a saddest in them that pulled at his heart.

“I saw you left the dance, didn’t really think you’d go, to begin with.” He closed the distance between them. Qrow was by her side, craning his neck to look at her. She muttered something, but he couldn’t catch it. He wasn’t going to pry. 

“Hope you don’t take this the wrong way, but I was kinda shitfaced last night, so, uh, what was your name again.” He genuinely felt bad for asking, but he needed to know her name.

“Finn.” 

“Finn?”

“Well, it’s Finnick but you can call me Finn if you want.”

He nodded and looked at the statue in front of him. “Well, Finn, thanks… for last night. Not many people would go through the effort to bring me home.”

She didn’t respond, she just stared at the statue with him. He could tell something was on her mind. “Qrow,” he hummed in recognition, “do you think I’d make a good huntress?” Finn’s voice was wavering. He took a deep breath and let it out, he looked down to see that she still looked straight ahead.

“You’ve got heart. You’re also really stubborn, from what you told me about your team, you don't really fit in, but you don’t stop trying to improve yourself.” Qrow could see her glance over at him. “A lot of huntsmen today only do it for the prestige, or the money, or both. But you care about the people around you, a little too much I’d say, but that’s what sets you apart from everyone else. Your empathy for others. I’ve never really met a huntress like you so I can’t say if you’d be good or not, but you will be different, and that can be good.”

He didn’t want to lie to her. He didn’t want to give her false hope, but he also didn’t want to crush her spirit. It was clear she was doubting herself and her abilities again. Qrow meant what he said. She had to have cared, a lot, to take him back to the Beacon dorms on her own. To want to be better for her teammates. To want to earn the respect a huntress garnered. 

Qrow couldn’t tell what she was thinking. That was new. She always seemed to wear her emotions on her sleeve, but this time, she was just pensive. Part of him wanted to give her a pat on the head to comfort her but thought it may be a little too patronizing for the tone of the conversation. 

“What about you?”

He almost didn’t catch that, and he definitely didn’t understand.

“Huh?”

“Why do you want to be a huntsman?”

Oh. That. Why did he want to be a huntsman? “Well… it’s cause it’s the only thing I’m good for.” Finn grabbed his arm and held it tightly. She looked at him again with those sad eyes.

“Don’t say that. I think you make a pretty good friend too.” That made his heart ache. No one had ever said that before. Not to him. Never to him. But she did.

“Thanks, but you don’t really know—”

“That doesn’t change the fact that I meant it.” The look Finn was giving him was sincere. She had a small smile on her face as she said this. Her grip on his arm lessened as her hand slipped down to grab his. She held both of their hands at what to her was eye level.

“We’re friends, Qrow. Even if you don’t think you make a good friend, that won’t change my mind.”

Qrow was shocked, not only by the boldness in grabbing his hand, but also at her words. Those weren’t words he’d expected to hear in his lifetime, let alone from her. He couldn’t help but laugh. Not many people he knew would be that straightforward with how they felt. If it was anyone else, he would have thought they were trying to get something out of him. Finnick though, she was innocent, she had nothing to gain, maybe that was what gave her that genuity about her. 

While he was lost in his thoughts, Finnick retracted her hand, bringing it to rub against her own bare arm. The lack of warmth in his hand coupled with the fact he still had it in the same spot like an idiot caused him to zone back in. She noticed and gave out a hesitant chuckle.

“It’s getting a little chilly s’all”

Okay, good thing he didn’t blow it. Wait, why did he care if he blew it, what even was _ it _ . He shook those thoughts out of his head, those were thoughts for another time, when he could think straight and didn’t have to worry about embarrassing himself in front of the only person that had ever assured him of his worth. 

“Uh, here.” Qrow stripped off his jacket and placed it over her shoulders. That immediately caused her to blush and start sputtering nonsense. It was reassuring to know she wasn’t immune to his charms, but the way he handled the situation was void of his usual Branwen swagger. He looked down at Finnick as she tried to cover her face. His coat was significantly too long for her. 

Avoiding his gaze, she muttered something under her breath.

“What was that, kid”

Her face scrunched as she sighed. “It’s getting cold out… but it’s really nice talking to you, so…” 

“So?”

“Would you like to go back? To my hotel room I mean.”

Oh. That was...forward. His mind went blank.

“Sure kiddo.”

She nodded as she tightened the edges of the coat around her, shielding her from the cold.

“Oh and Qrow?”

“Hmmm?”

“Don’t call me kid.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading like always. Please leave a comment if you have anything you want to say.


	5. Chapter 5

Qrow followed Finnick back to the hotel that her and her team had been staying at. They weren’t in a hurry, but they still made a brisk pace across the streets of Beacon. They were going back to her hotel room… together… It was all Qrow could think about. Was this seriously happening? He did come out to get laid but he was not expecting to be brought to bed by her. Not to mention  _ she _ invited him. She was so unassuming yet so forward.

For the first time in his life, Qrow was nervous about the prospect of having a girl in the bed. He felt his palms get sweaty causing him to rub them along the sides of his pants. He glanced over her body subconsciously. She was still wearing his jacket, but that didn’t conceal her figure. She was petite to say the least. He had noticed before she didn’t have much in terms of breasts or hips, but her thighs. He probably hadn’t noticed them before because of how baggy her pants were the other times they had met. That wasn’t a problem now. The dress stopped mid thigh. Even partially covered Qrow could make out the shapely tanned thighs. They looked so soft and warm. A part of him wanted to reach out and feel them…

Okay he had to stop thinking about that, thinking about her legs had gotten him somewhat hard and they weren’t even at the hotel room yet. He glanced over to see if she noticed his staring. Fortunately, Finnick was talking about something that she seemed rather passionate about. She was prattling on about it, the smile on her face made Qrow feel bad for not paying attention.

“Oh, this is it, Qrow.” Qrow snapped out of his thoughts to look at the building she had led him to. It wasn’t what he had been expecting. The other academies had put their students into some of the nicer hotels near the Beacon Amphitheater. This, well this was the type of place he’d bring a girl back to.

“You sure this is the place?” He looked skeptical. She gave him a short nod in response. “Yep! Shade wasn’t able to generate enough funds from the council to sponsor teams this year so it was mainly out of pocket.”

They both walked in, it was just as rundown on the inside as it was on the outside. He swore that the wallpaper had to be older than the kingdom of Vale itself. Finnick walked through the halls unfazed by the more than vintage decor. He knew they were at her room when she started to mess with a door knob whilst pressing her body weight on the door. He looked at her in confusion. “This door doesn’t lock so we just jammed it shut.” Okay, what the actual fuck was this hotel. 

“Uh, let me try.” He grabbed the doorknob from her and pushed the door with the side of his body. The door flung open under the force causing him to lose balance. He threw his hands out to catch his fall, but he never hit the ground. Instead, Finnick was in front of him holding him up. He blinked a couple times, he was sure she was on the other side of him a second before. This was officially going to be the weirdest lay of his life. 

“Got some fast feet there,” he stated as he regained his balance She just shook her head, “It was just a lucky catch.” Closing the door behind the both of them, Qrow was able to get a better view of the room. From the exterior and the hallway, it was what he was expecting. What he didn’t expect was a third mattress shoved in between the two in the room. Finnick looked at his confused expression and followed his gaze towards the odd mattress. “Oh that! So, Rowan, you know that teammate that I was having problems with, well she didn’t want to be in the same room as me so she threw the bed out of the room so I moved over with my other two teammates.”

“Nothing is ever simple with you is it?”

She laughed at that as she plopped herself onto the bed nearest the door and patted the spot next to her. Qrow sat down next to her, feeling how the bed creaked underneath him. Given his luck it would break before anything even started.

“Um, Qrow, can I ask you something?”

“Got a feeling you’re gonna ask me anyway” She gave out a small giggle, before her face became more solemn. 

“Why’d you follow me?” 

He wasn’t prepared to answer that. In all honesty he didn’t really know why he followed her out. 

“I don’t know. My body was moved before I had full sense of what was going on.” Finnick grabbed Qrow’s hand in her own, looking into his eyes, facing him with a large smile.

“I’m glad you did.”

The warmth that spread through Qrow after hearing her gratification was unprecedented. If he could say anything about Finn, is that she made him feel things he didn’t know existed. His heart was beating harder than it ever had before. He didn’t understand her. He didn;t understand what he was feeling. Even if left unsaid—he was glad he followed her too.

“Mind if I ask you something, pipsqueak?”

Finnick nodded and gave a relaxed shrug in response. 

“Why’d you run off like that?”

“You mean you didn’t see?”

Qrow hadn’t seen. He didn’t know what happened, but there must’ve been something major. He was too preoccupied with that other girl to notice what was going on. Finnick sighed. She pulled her knees up to her chest, hugging them with her arms. Qrow noticed how the hem of her dress rode up nearly past the top of her thigh, but he didn’t mention it.

“I was talking to Summer.” Already off to a rough start considering how things went with him and Summer earlier, “She didn’t really want to talk to me, I mean, I guess I understand we don’t really know each other, but then this guy came and started calling me a kid. And then everyone started staring at us and I wanted to get away, but he grabbed me. Yeah, so I forced him off me, and then I ran away. It was so embarrassing.”

Qrow chuckled, “Which part, the being called a kid part, getting grabbed by a creep, or having an audience when you kicked his ass.”

“I didn’t say I kicked his ass.”

“Well, did you?”

Finn laughed a small snort peaking through which brought a smile back to Qrow’s face. There was a gleam of happiness showing back in her eyes. “Yeah.” She looked back up at him, no longer hiding her face behind her legs. “I guess, the worst part was being called a kid in front of everyone. I worked really hard to get into Shade a year early… but no one ever sees that. No one cares. It makes me feel like no matter how hard I work that’s all they’ll ever see in me. I’ll always be just a kid.”

Qrow could relate to some extent to her situation. He understood the implication that her age would have on her future as a huntress. The idea that she was too young to take certain jobs would probably cause her difficulties. She’ll have to work harder to prove to everyone around her that she was just as capable. 

“Remember how I told you I was from Mistral.”

“I don’t understand ho—”

“Just listen up ki-shortstuff.” he corrected himself just in time, “I say I’m from Mistral but it’s more like I’m from Anima.” He couldn’t believe he was about to say this to someone he basically just met, but something just compelled him to. “You see, I’m from…” He couldn’t say it. 

“You grew up with bandits right? I kinda figured.”

He looked at her with confusion. “How?” Even old Oz didn’t pick up on the fact they were from a bandit tribe that fast. How did she get it in, what, three interactions.

“You said growing up you never really interacted with the kingdoms. The only people who survive outside of the kingdoms are bandits. So I kinda just assumed.” Finnick shrugged at her statement, before smirking. “Plus, you seem like the bandit type. All rough around the edges, brooding all the time, Mister doom and gloom.” She elbowed him on his side repeatedly, driving home the lighthearted joke. 

“Does it bother you?”

“It’s a way of life. I know it’s not the best way of life, but it’s the one you had. Vacuo is home to all sorts. We’re the kingdom anyone can go to start a new life no questions. I’ve met outlaws who did the same things, not because they had to, but because they wanted to. They’re more of a problem. Ah sorry I’m rambling.”

“Not everyone shares your thoughts.”

“It doesn’t matter what they think! You’re you, not a product of your circumstances!”

Qrow laughed at the irony. She was all worked up, in his face. Immediately she deflated. “I’m being a hypocrite, aren’t I.” she whined as she threw herself down onto the bed. 

“A little yeah.”

There was a brief moment of silence, where the two of them were letting the resulting conversation sink in. Even Summer and Tai were apprehensive when they had first learned about where he and Raven had come from, but Finn seemed to not be bothered by it. It must’ve been a cultural difference. He knew Vacuo was the go to place for anyone trying to escape the law, but he didn’t think it would be that normalized.

Before he could say anything else, she cut in. “Do you mind if I get into something more comfortable?” That brought him back to the reason he was here. He stuttered out a yes and she hopped off the bed mentioning that she would be right back. 

Okay, he was doing this. This was happening. Qrow tugged at his collar, which felt like it was practically choking him. He unbuttoned the first two buttons to give him a bit of breathing room. Taking out his wallet, he took out a condom and put it on the nightstand for easy access later on. He had to put his hands on his knees and take a deep breath, he was too nervous. It was inexplicable. He wasn’t even this nervous when he lost his virginity. What was so different about this time?

“Back!” Finnick yelled as she launched herself onto the bed. Her weight, or lack of, didn’t cause as large of a bounce as she had expected. He turned around to face her. Once again, he left him in shock. He was expecting something revealing. That’s what every other girl had done when they mentioned getting _ into something more comfortable.  _ Instead she was in an oversized tee-shirt and some baggy shorts. 

“Thanks for waiting; Anything interesting happen while I was gone?” Finn said with a cheeky smile. She held her head in her hand, causing her hair to fall onto half of her face. Even if it wasn't the most conventional outfit, it was fitting for her. It was casual and fun, just like her. It was calming to him. He didn’t feel as nervous as he did moments before. He could do this.

Qrow turned his body so he was now facing Finnick. His heart still beating out of his chest, but he couldn’t be bothered by it. He gave her a soft smile, one was so intrinsically different than his usual smirk. She smiled back at him, her face gleaming.

Cupping her cheek in his hand, Qrow leaned forward, gently pressing his lips onto Finn’s. It was soft and stiff. He could tell she was nervous too. She moved away from him allowing Qrow to position himself on top of her. He was enjoying this kiss more than the ones he was used to. It was nice until it wasn’t.

Finnick liked how he smiled. It was a nice change from the brooding expression he wore most of the time. She smiled in return. She had no reason to hide her own happiness. What confused her was when Qrow put a hand on her face. That was a little weird. And she was definitely not expecting him to move forward and kiss her. Her eyes were wide with shock, her entire body felt stiff. She tried to move away from him but found her back hitting the bed and Qrow moving with her. She was panicking, so she did the only thing she knew would get her out of the situation.

Making use of the space that was still between them, Finnick brought her leg up, putting her foot on his chest, and kicked him off of her. He tumbled off of the bed, landing square on his back with a thud. She immediately scurried to the edge to see if he was alright. Qrow was holding his side and looking at her with the same shocked expression she had gotten all night long. Making eye contact with him made her face grow beet red.

“Why did you kiss me!” She shouted, feeling the heat in her face build even hotter after admitting to what just happened. Qrow stood up, clearly upset, his face turned from shock into a scowl.

“Sorry princess, that I didn’t want to go straight to fucking.” He snapped back at her. Now it was her turn to be shocked. She didn’t know how to react. Her face was red and burning hot, but her mind had stopped working. 

“What, why, why would we…” She couldn’t finish her sentence. She was too embarrassed by the situation. “Why else would you bring me back to your hotel room?” His tone was still full of anger. She looked up at him, her golden eyes were dulled with regret. He could see it now, that it wasn’t her intention. “I wanted to keep talking to you, Qrow. You’re my friend…”

Finnick looked at him as he backed up, bringing his hand to his mouth. Qrow’s face was getting red now too. He avoided looking at her, but she could only keep her eyes on him. He cleared his throat, “Sorry,” he started, “I misread the situation. I’ll get going now.” Finnick didn’t say anything. She just watched him struggle with the door, before leaving and closing it behind him.

Finnick touched her lips absentmindedly. She couldn’t really comprehend what had just happened. Qrow had kissed her. In fact, he was there under the pretense of sleeping with her. Just earlier in the day she was upset over the fact that no one viewed her in a sexual light and now she was sitting there dumbfounded after having her first kiss.

Getting over the initial shock, Finnick’s face flushed in realization: that was her first kiss. She hadn’t had many expectations for it, but a guy she had recently met at an interkingdom tournament had never crossed her mind. But it happened. And she didn’t know how to feel about it. 

Yes, she thought Qrow was attractive. He had that roguish charm that she couldn’t deny made her heart beat a little faster, but she hadn’t thought of him as anything other than a friend. They were friends. But friends didn’t kiss friends. Friends didn’t go to the other’s hotel room with the idea of getting laid.

The thought of him made Finnick's heart start beating really fast and she felt like her stomach had butterflies the size of nevermores. She didn’t want to say it. She didn’t want to think about it, in fear that it would solidify the reality of what was happening but there was no denying it; she had a crush on Qrow.

She shifted on the bed, causing her to notice that she still had his jacket. He had been so kind to give it to her, she should at least make the effort and give it back. Maybe if she gave it back tomorrow at the tournament, she’d be able to confront him about what had happened just a couple moments before.

Qrow booked it. He immediately flew away with the idea of getting as far away from her as possible. He landed roughly in front of the Crow-Bar. His breath heavy, disoriented. He needed a drink, tournament be damned. The rising anxiety of the encounter to the frustration and guilt. It was all too much for one night. 

Walking into the bar in front of him he motioned to the bartender in the back, who only nodded as he started preparing a drink. As he stalked through the bar, Qrow noticed the significant increase of patrons. It was bustling; so much so that there were no empty seats at the bar. Just his luck, he’d have to stand until someone got up. 

When he made it to the counter he stood awkwardly for a moment until the bartender slid him his drink. He took it with a nod, turning his back to the counter, he leaned on it while looking out over the bar. As he looked out, he thought about how that turned out. It made his head spin, he was thrown for a loop with Finnick. Finnick made him confused. Despite all the walls he had built around himself, he felt even more vulnerable around her. It was as if she could see through them. Like she could  _ phase  _ through them. 

He took a sip.

The sooner he could get drunk out of his mind, the less he’d have to remember of this shitshow of a night. 

“You know leaving me back there was extremely rude.”

He turned his head to see that girl. That Yanai girl. The one from the dance. He felt a chill run down his spine thinking of how they left things. Still he needed to keep his composure, just cause one little girl from Vaccuo could get him all hot and flustered doesn’t mean he has to let every dame that walks his way.

“Oh, yeah. Sorry bout that, something came up.” Qrow took another sip of his drink. Brothers, he couldn’t imagine a worse way to end off the night. Why did he even make a move on her in the first place?

“Was that something really more important than me?” she said while angling her chest downwards, giving him a full view of her more than generous cleavage. That’s why. “Ditching me after feeling me up—it really hurt my feelings.” He could tell by the look in her eye, the way she pressed herself closer to him. Exactly where this was headed. 

“Oh, really now? And I’m guessing this is the part where you tell me how I could make it up to you.” Qrow straightened out his back, no longer leaning on the counter. “I’ve got a room in the inn across from here. Maybe you could pay me back there?” She winked as she sauntered away from him, only stopping at the door of the bar to look back at him. He smirked as he threw back the rest of his drink, leaving some yuan on the counter to settle his bill. 

The two made their way back to the inn in silence. Qrow didn’t mind. Unlike Finnick, this girl had plenty of assets to keep his mind busy. 

Once the door of her room closed, the Yanai girl wasted no time. In an instant she had pushed him against the wall, her mouth was on his with all the fervent intensity of a huntress who would be on death’s door tomorrow. And he returned it. He placed one hand on the small of her back pressing her against him, the other went to her hair and broke the kiss. He used the opportunity to nip at where her collarbone met her neck, shuddering as he heard her sweet sighs. The girl grinded her hips against making him hold his breath for a second. The hand that was on her lower back was now pulling the bottom of her dress up over her ass. He was able to grip her tightly, feeling the warmth of her skin through the sheerness of her underwear.

Flipping her hair out of her face, she abruptly pushed him off. The events from earlier in the evening coming back to him, but being quickly forgotten as he saw the sultry look in her eyes. She approached him putting a gentle hand on his chest. She knelt down in front of him with a smirk as she slid her hand down to his belt. She made quick work of it as she placed her mouth on the tenting of his underwear, eliciting a groan from him and a haughty giggle from her. 

The Yanai girl began to rub him through the fabric, making sure to milk him for every moan and sigh he could muster. It felt like an eternity before she pulled down his underwear letting him spring free from its confines. She looked up at him as she put the head into her mouth, rolling her tongue along the bottom. Qrow threw his head back, the warmth and white hot pleasure passing through him. He unconsciously grabbed a fistful of her hair and yanked her until she had him completely in her mouth. He looked down at her, eyes beginning to water, but her eyes pitch black with lust. It gave him confidence. The confidence he needed to push even further until he was reaching into her throat and pull away, then pound back into her mouth. It gave him the confidence to facefuck her while she took off her garments and pleasured herself to the sound of his groans. It gave him the confidence that he didn’t have when he was around Finnick.

Qrow had enough, he didn’t go to the ball for second-rate head from a girl who wasn’t even that attractive. He needed to get laid. He needed to get laid so he could forget about the disaster that was tonight and so he could stop thinking about a golden haired brat from Vacuo that should have no influence on his life whatsoever. With his hand in her hair, he yanked her up. 

Her mouth was covered in his precum mixed with her own spit. She looked at him knowingly, before turning around letting him push her unto the bed. She looked back over her shoulder as she was leaned over the bed. Qrow pushed her head down as he entered her. She gasped in pleasure, having worked herself open with her own fingers earlier. The girl made another attempt to look back to see where they were connected, but he grabbed at her hair and pulled it until her neck was arching towards him and her face was staring up at the ceiling. She gave a cry out in both pain and ecstasy as she could feel him pounding into her with no remorse. It wasn’t some lovers tryst made of passion and trust, this was just a desire formed from pent up frustrations. Frustrations that were causing Qrow to fuck a girl harder than he had in his entire life. He could feel her clench around him as she came, her screams echoing from the walls, but he continued at an unyielding pace until he was brought over the edge forcing himself as deep as he could inside her until he realized he wasn’t wearing a condom. 

Qrow quickly pulled out, grabbing a discarded sheet to finish coming into and clean himself up. “Shit, look, I’m sorry.” She only gave him her signature giggle. “I wouldn’t be fooling around if I wasn’t prepared. Don’t worry I’m on the pill.” Qrow nodded, he had been lucky, this time. He tucked himself back into his pants. Just as he was going to redo his belt, she got up placing a hand on his chin while another was unbuttoning his shirt. She smirked cheekily at him.“I was hoping for a round two. I mean if you’ve got it in you.” 

He pushed her back onto the bed, and finished unbuttoning the rest of his shirt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am sorry that this took so long. To be honest the majority of this chapter was done within 2 days of the last but it was the sex scene that really got to me and whenever I would try to write it I'd just draw a blank. With Volume 8 coming out and Qrow making an appearance in episode 2 I have a little bit more steam to be able to write this. Comments and Kudos are appreciated!

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time writing a serious fanfiction for one of my OCs, I've put a lot of thought on how I want the character interactions to go, most of these first couple chapters are building around the story. I'll explain more of the AU part of it as we get further into the story.  
> For now thankyou for reading and please leave a comment!


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